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Wednesday, February 27, 2008

How not to Adopt Materials another lesson in mistakes by the Seattle Schools decision makers

On Harium Martin-Morris blogBlogger dan dempsey said...

The Key to making really big mistakes is to ignore the data that is staring you smack in the face.

This is not some fabulously paid consultant project. All the statistics that follow are just the data from OSPI posted right on the web.

In the 2006-2007 School year Seattle used the newly adopted Connected Math Project2 materials complete with improved implementation and teacher training. Look at the results for children in “Title I targeted Math” at the 7th grade level WASL pass rates.

In 2006 Seattle led Tacoma by 2% in passing rate differential In 2007 Tacoma led Seattle by 1.8%

Given Hook's research it is reasonable to assume that since Seattle is still using CMP2 with little supplementation and Tacoma is now in year two with Saxon. Tacoma should lead Seattle by at least 4% in Spring 2008 for low income kids.

Seattle has 40.5% on free and reduced meals, while Tacoma has 54.8%. The State average is 37%.

It is important to notice that Tacoma K-8 is establishing a base of arithmetic competence on which to build algebra skills. No one is quite sure what Seattle is establishing k-8 in math as the SPS has yet to define required necessary skills at each grade level.

Yes lets all go and spend another 2 million on books with an additional two million on academic literacy and math coaches for teachers and support - when we have absolutely no coherent plan for much of anything in math.

Blunder on SPS -- Blunder on.

Harium you definitely have your work cut out for you on this one.

Don't get hurt by having this unstructured program collapse on you. You did not build this mess.

2006 Seattle Led Tacoma by 4.2% in passing rate differential2007 Tacoma Led Seattle by 3.6%

Ms Santorno the Everyday Math -Connected Math combination is not working in Denver why did you put this same combination in Seattle?

Is this a success? Oh that's right this takes time.

Seattle is spending $4.2 million on academic coaches for teachers this year. Hopefully we will see more improvement this year than last year.

Now let us take a look at grade 3 in Tacoma for the Saxon Implementation and compare it with whatever was happening in Seattle last year. Remember Seattle had no required grade level necessary skills at grade three and a hodge podge of TERC/Investigations Etc. were in use at various schools.

Are You shocked that the Everyday math used for several years at Greenlake with supposedly wonderful implementation did not produce results for Low Income students much different than the chaotic shotgun pattern of many different materials used at the other SPS schools?

Why did the SPS adopt this Everyday Math curriculum?

The reason is because Ms Santorno, Ms Hoste, and Ms Wise decided to ignore all the statistics and other relevant data that was submitted to them over months prior to the adoption decision and decided to ignore the testimonies at the introductory school board meeting and the non-televised action meeting of May 30th. The school board as usual was steam-rollered by their hired experts - with no data and no intelligent application of the relevant data --How can this repeatedly happen on so many issues?

Oh right the board does not need 100% buy-in.

When will that accountability ever show up. Who is accountable for not fulfilling the requirements of D43.00D44.00 and D45.00 ??

So how does this Everyday Math data square with the districts mantra about concern with the achievement gap for students of color?

You know the achievement gap in math that has constantly expanded over the last decade.

To improve a system requires the intelligent application of relevant data. --(W. Edwards Deming 1900-1993)

Health Warning: Do not hold your breath waiting for the SPS to implement Deming's wisdom.